Kristi Brownfield of GA United read a powerful statement in defense of free speech at SIUC at this morning’s open forum with the Board of Trustees. It concludes:

This administration seems more interested in power than people. Any policies that protect the established power of the status quo over the expressive power of a free people are policies that must be overturned. The students here recognize that. It was our voices inside the Student Center, outside of Anthony Hall and the Stone Center, throughout campus, on Facebook, and online — calling for accountability, fairness, and transparency. That is what we want from this university. That is not what we have been getting. We expect better and in the future we hope to work with the administration to ensure we get that better. Together we can heal this damage to create a better SIUC for today and tomorrow.

WBEZ, the NPR station in Chicago, ran a story today about Joe Paterno and Penn State. They have yet to run a story about SIU and the strike. So, I wrote this in response to them:

Hey, WBEZ, the last time I checked, Penn State was in Pennsylvania. Southern Illinois University is in Illinois and a majority the students at SIU are from Chicago. (How many Chicagoans are at Penn State?)

SIU had a week-long faculty strike, the first in the school’s history, and hundreds (some say thousands) of students, in three separate marches, on three different days, marched beside the striking faculty. What else happened? The university censored its Facebook page and then blocked anyone who wrote anything that challenged the Administration. Striking faculty were electronically shut out of their emails, and online sites that contained their course materials. And the administration fought furiously to undermine tenure and all that it means. But none of this is important, is it? Because it’s not about a football coach in another state. Shame on you, WBEZ. Here’s a site where you can begin your journey to southern part of the state. https://occupysiuc.wordpress.com/

The media should be reporting on the powerful actions by the students of SIUC. Let’s pressure them to do so.

The key issues in the strike flow from SIU Chancellor Rita Cheng and SIU President Glen Poshard’s attempts to impose a “corporate education” model on the school. As one student and Navy veteran asked in an open letter, “Is SIUC just after my government benefits after all? Like [the for-profit] University of Phoenix?”

“What is at stake here,” said striking professor Jyostna Kapur, “is the education of working class and middle class students. The administration wants to cheat our students of a good education by trying to make us work for more and more with less and less at a time when working class and middle class students are going into debt for this education.”

“Thank you university police, for your professionalism in keeping the campus safe during a busy and trying time on campus!”

“Yes, indeed! I was very grateful yesterday morning [November 3rd] for the university cop that warned me and other strikers of a white car trying to run other strikers over. I wish them the very best luck with their contract dispute with the university.”

“I’m also grateful for them telling us when we were getting too close to the road for safety. We may not have liked hearing that we should stay back where we were less visible, but they really were looking out for EVERYONE’S safety.”

“Any more news on the white car?
That episode sounds pretty unpleasant”

“A police officer has spoken with the driver. The driver indicated that he did not intend to run anyone down, that he was just trying to make a point. The officer told him that a way to make a point is to stop and talk with people and debate the issues.

What will happen to the driver judicially remains to be seen.”

Remember, the University Police are without a contract now, too. They are scheduled to begin negotiations soon after those with the FA end. Because they’re police, they can’t go on strike to make their will known.

They know what you’re feeling and they’re there to keep you safe. Treat ‘em with respect.

“I brought Occupy SIUC to Occupy Duluth tonight: I wanted SO BADLY to stand side by side with my professors and friends during this week’s faculty strikes that I made a sign and waived it around on Duluth’s busiest intersection all by myself ♥. DEAR ADMINISTRATION: PLEASE SETTLE. Even all the way up here in Duluth, MN we support SIUC’s professors. Why won’t you?”-Cory Hussein Dack

Leigh Tiebout, Faculty Association member and associate professor of dental hygiene, cries Friday after some of her students arrived to support her and other teachers. While walking through campus, the dental hygiene students shouted, “What do we want? Our teachers back! When do we want it? Now!” Looking at her students, Tiebout said. “I just want to come back.” Look for the full story in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily Egyptian. Photo by Nathan Hoefert, Daily Egyptian.

From an ACsE member who picketed in support of the FA outside Anthony Hall on her break:

“We also had several students stop by and ask sincerely interested questions about what was going on. The general attitude of those students ranged from confusion to annoyance at the non-information contained in the Chancellor’s emails to outright anger at the insulting and condescending tone, and even threatening tone, of some of them. They did NOT appreciate the implication that the school will be imposing some sort of attendance policy midway through the semester that their professors didn’t use from the beginning. One mortuary science student who had come here from Washington State b/c we have a good program in his field was furious b/c he went in to Anthony to tell Cheng how frustrated he was at not having his labs & classes, and the person he spoke to told him he shouldn’t worry about it b/c as long as he continues to go to class, he’ll get his “points.” He said, “I don’t want ‘points’! I want to LEARN! Employers aren’t going to care about points and attendance if I don’t know what I need to know to do the job!””

Several students have sent me descriptions of that class, and I quote one of them:

“Yesterday (Thursday), the first day of the strike, was very awkward. The Math 150 class was staffed by the Assistant Dean of the College of Science, [name deleted by D.B.]. She is an economist who has a background in Calculus. Yesterday’s class lasted only 20 minutes with her giving us a brief lecture of the fundamentals behind integration. She then got uncomfortable to the point where she was literally copying the book. She also took attendance, by the way. As I said, she stopped after 20 minutes, assigned no homework and dismissed the class.

Today (Friday), was basically a repeat of yesterday. The class lasted 10 minutes and we pretty much reviewed what we went over yesterday!”